Phelps Dodge controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2013
Air pollution and hazardous-waste scrutiny
Environmental assessments identified Phelps Dodge as a significant historical source of industrial air pollution, including sulfuric acid, chromium compounds, lead compounds, and chlorine. The company was also reported as a potentially responsible party at multiple Superfund sites.
1998
Death of Reynaldo Delgado at Hurley smelter
Reynaldo Delgado died after being engulfed in flames while responding to a molten-slag emergency in a Hurley, New Mexico, smelter tunnel. Accounts cited in the reference material state that he had warned supervisors that he lacked the necessary qualifications and requested assistance.
1983
Morenci strike and union decertification
The Morenci, Arizona, copper mine was the site of a violent strike lasting from 1983 to 1986. The conflict ended with one of the largest union decertifications in American labor history and remains a prominent example of the company's confrontational labor relations.
1917
Bisbee Deportation
During a labor dispute, company officials worked with local authorities and a large posse to detain approximately 1,300 striking miners and other people identified with labor radicalism. The detainees were forcibly transported out of the Bisbee area to Hermanas, New Mexico. The episode is widely regarded as a serious violation of labor and civil rights.